Arnie and Myriam Notkin met more than 40 years after she emigrated from Cuba with the wave of immigrants who arrived in Florida after the communists seized power in 1959. She was a widow with three daughters when they married, and the couple spent 20 years of joy and happiness together, living on the 3rd floor of Champlain Towers South. Arnie Notkin was identified on July 12 as among the victims of the building’s collapse. His wife remains missing.
Both had long careers. Arnie worked as a physical education teacher at Miami Beach’s Leroy D. Fienberg Elementary School, and Myriam as a banker and real estate agent before they retired and embraced the next stage of their lives. Always with a story to tell, Arnie is an institution in the Miami Beach community and takes great pride in his students. Long after they had graduated, he always had a nice word and memory to share about them.
In a lengthy tribute shared on CNN, their friend and North Miami Beach Commissioner, Fortuna Smukler, remembered how kind, caring and warm they were. Myriam was close with Smukler’s mother and took care to mention her every time they met—even four decades after her passing— making it clear to Smukler how much Myriam truly treasured their relationship.
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